Council members agreed to send the ordinance back to city attorneys for some tweaks. It will be returned for a full public hearing and more discussion.
Members had many questions for Thomson about the details of his proposal.
City Council President Pro Tem Elaine Clegg had serious objections to Thomson’s suggestions to codify animal cruelty because she felt they were too broad. Thomson wanted to have legal requirements that pet owners had to keep animals properly fed, watered, cleaned and in temperature-controlled environments. It would punish those who deliberately poison or try to abandon animals with the intent to kill them.